Quick Before it Melts

Friday 26 December 2008

A few kind words

Meursault are a band that cannot be justly described by written language.  This is not a cop-out because I couldn’t come up with any pithy quotes like the ones provided by their label’s site, it’s just that their unique blend of electronica, banjo, and ukulele creates a sonic assault that leaves you breathless and scratching your head, trying to figure out what exactly you just experienced.

These Scottish boys are no Belle & Sebastian, that’s for sure; they’re closer cousins to Mogawi, I guess, but–again–that doesn’t exactly give you a true idea about what you’re dealing with here.  Amid the drone of fuzzy feedback and slapping drum beats, there’s moments of sonic clarity that break through, where strings of all sorts give the music a humanity and warmth.  Pissing On Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues, their debut album (released by blog-turned-label Song, By Toad) is over before you know it, but buy the time you’ve gone through it and experienced the ecstatic and oddly beautiful “A Few Kind Words” you’ll want to go back and start all over again.  Because–and I’m just really getting this now as I type it–you have to hear the whole thing before you really can appreciate just how complex, how utterly accomplished this debut album is.  Once you’ve experienced it once, the subsequent listens reveal the hidden treasures and tiny details that make it a compelling listen (you’ll have to download the album yourself to experience the jewel that is “A Small Stretch of Land”).

MP3: Meursault “The Furnace”
MP3: Meursault “A Few Kind Words”
Myspace: Meursault
Buy: Meursault Pissing On Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues

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by J. Di Gioia | 2 Comments »

This entry was posted on Friday, December 26th, 2008 at 10:00 am and is filed under MP3. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.